Danny Fenton: Paranormal Hunter
by FandomCameo
Summary: AU using original idea for the show. It is the duty of the GiW to run the paranormal out of Amity peacefully. But, a portal accident at the Fenton's causes Danny to see the truth and his parents to be taken prisoner. With Jazz believing their parents dead, Danny must rely on his new powers and friends to discover what else Amity is hiding. (I suck at summaries Cameo: Hamish Holmes)


Title: Danny Phantom: Paranormal Hunter

Chapter: Prologue/Mystery Meat

Disclaimer: I do not own anything that you recognize.

Information: The prologue is supposed to be like the new 'theme song' in the tune of the extended Spectacular Spiderman theme song.

'**Sam's telepathic link'**

'_Danny's telepathic link'_

'_Regular thought'_

_**Flashback**_

**[Fenton Finder / Text Message]**

*Theme music*

Having turned fourteen

Coming home

He had seen

The finished new machine

Biggest failure he had seen

Aaah aaah aaah aah aaah ah aaah aah aaah aah ah

Danny looked inside

He tripped, bringing it to life

His friend Sam ran to his aid

He tried to scream, but was too late

Aaah aaah aaah aah aaah ah aaah aah aaah aah ah

Spec-tac-u-lar Spec-tac-u-lar Night Hunter

Spec-tac-u-lar Spec-tac-u-lar ghost puncher

Spec-tac-u-lar Spec-tac-u-lar Protector

OF AMITYYY

Parents stayed behind

Saw the portal in delight

Danny woke up in a fright

Sam found a link between their minds

Aaah aaah aaah aah aaah ah aaah aah aaah aah ah

Danny rushed back home

But his parents weren't alone

Guys in White took them away

And told Jazz they passed away

Aaah aaah aaah aah aaah ah aaah aah aaah aah ah

Spec-tac-u-lar Spec-tac-u-lar teen fighter

Spec-tac-u-lar Spec-tac-u-lar inventor

Spec-tac-u-lar Spec-tac-u-lar hunter of

PAR-A-NOR-MAAAAL

Danny knows the truth

They warned him not to tell

That they're locked up in a cell

Now he's in a living hell

Aaah aaah aaah aah aaah ah aaah aah aaah aah ah

They closed the steel door

But to Danny this means war

Because when his eyes turn green

It reveals creatures unseen

Aaah aaah aaah aah aaah ah aaah aah aaah aah ah

Spec-tac-u-lar Spec-tac-u-lar fighting teen

Spec-tac-u-lar Spec-tac-u-lar best you've seen

Spec-tac-u-lar Spec-tac-u-lar his name is

DAN-NY FEN-TOOOOON

Hidden in the night

Fighting evil with his might

He's a hero in our eyes

Not content to deal with lies

Aaah aaah aaah aah aaah ah aaah aah aaah aah ah

Fighting for them all

Though he's not as fast or tall

His owl Spooky by his side

If he gives the bird a call

Aaah aaah aaah aah aaah ah aaah aah aaah aah ah

Dan-ny Fen-ton

Par-a-nor-mal Hun-ter

Dan-ny Fen-ton, Dan-ny Fen-ton

Dan-ny Fen-ton, Dan-ny Fen-ton

Dan-ny Fen-ton, Dan-ny Fen-ton

*End theme song*

Jazz looked up from her book as Danny skidded through the kitchen, still trying to get his white shirt with a red oval onto his body, his red converse shoes still untied. He had stayed up late the night before in an attempt to study for the math test he had forgotten about. While Danny still didn't understand he felt he at least knew enough once midnight had rolled around as he had gone to sleep. Which was the precise reason why his alarm had not been set, rather Danny had awoken by mere instinct. He smiled triumphantly as his shirt covered his stomach. "Your pants are inside out." Jazz commented blandly, going back to her book. Danny quickly looked down at his blue jeans before groaning in exasperation, and running to the closet in the living room to fix it. Jazz got up, serving a bowl of Frosted Flakes that she placed at Danny's table place. She realized there would be no point of scolding her brother for his slip up, as not only did she not want to attempt to take the place of their mother but also because she felt her brother deserved a bit of a break for the amount of effort she had seen him put into studying. She gazed sadly at the picture hanging on the wall of her parents. _Mom and Dad would have been so proud of you Danny. I'm proud of you, but I'm sure it wouldn't be the same. Who's going to give you the security you need?_ Jazz sighed returning to her seat. She thought back to the letter she had received from the men that informed her of her parents' death. _They have no right. Seizing their bank accounts and giving us a monthly allowance for all our needs was one thing, but they can't cut us off completely. How will I take care of Danny? _Jazz bit her lip as she glanced at the clock. Danny seemed to be dealing with the death of their parents a little too well, and it worried her, thus her current reading on the stages of grief. She had deemed him to be in the stage of Denial still as he continued to use words like _are _and _is_ rather than _were _and _was_ when speaking of their parents.

Danny ran back into the kitchen and began to shovel cereal into his mouth. As he chewed he gazed over at his loving sister, knowing that he would do anything to protect her, even if he was the younger one. Having Jazz made up for the absence of his parents but to him it seemed she was hesitant to fully take on the role. Danny looked down at the spoon in his hand. It was his fault that Jazz had to grow up so suddenly, he missed the days were they would spend hours trying to out prank each other. She seemed tired and stressed, but there was nothing he could tell her to make her feel better.

'**Danny, we're here.' **Sam relayed mentally, causing Danny to drop his spoon, the noise catching Jazz's attention. She put down her book and grasped his hand.

"Danny, are you alright?" Jazz asked in concern. She feared that Danny had hit the Anger stage in that split second. Her brother was usually well tempered with only a few issues that angered him, however when he was angry he would lock himself in his room, not speaking, not eating, like a bomb slowly ticking towards zero. Then he would explode and her brother was truly frightening as his heart blazed with a burning fire even as his blue eyes turned as cold as a winter's day, piercing easily through any confidence or security one thinks they possess. Danny let his hand slip out of her grasp guiltily, already recognizing her contemplative mood.

"I'm fine." He told her, getting up to answer the knock at the door. As he exited the kitchen he looked back at his sister, who had cradled her head in her hands. He looked away with downcast eyes and a heavy sigh. His heart ached to see his sister this way, completely alone. She had no one to depend on for security, not when she thought she had to protect him when in reality he had to protect her. He couldn't afford for Jazz to be taken from him. He opened the door to find Sam and Tucker standing in the doorway. "Hey guys." Danny greeted with a fake smile. He was happy to see his friends but he felt weary. Truly Danny was grateful for his friend Samantha who had saved his life. After running calculations both Danny and Tucker realized that had Sam not gone into the portal with him the resulting electricity concentrated on him would have killed him. He was thankful to her even with feeling guilt for she now was forever linked to his mind and thus was at times subject to his nightmares. The trio walked back into the kitchen, discussing their plans for the day. Jazz stood by the counter fiddling with a strange device. "What's that?" Danny asked taking it from her even though he already suspected what it was. For the past week he had been finding hidden ghost gadgets around the house that he had moved to the lab to be fixed. Almost none of the gadgets worked as they were intended to, and it irritated him.

"I don't know." She said with a frown, trying to get it back. Danny flipped a black switch on the device and it powered up. **[Welcome to the Fenton Finder. No ghosts found, extending search to thirty feet. No ghosts found, extending-]**. Jazz snatched the device back from Danny, switching it off with a loud click. "I'm sick of finding these things lying around the house!" She shouted, with frustrated tears in her teal eyes. Jazz collapsed into the nearby chair, her hands covering her face. Giving a pained frown at his sister Danny walked to her side, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"It's alright, Jazz." Danny assured her. "I'll get rid of it." He said with a lump in his throat. Danny wanted to be angry rather than sad but was no one to direct his anger towards. _Except the Guys in White _his subconscious reminded him. Danny took a steady breath. There was nothing he could do about the government agents, nothing without being taken from Jazz or having her taken from him. Jazz clutched the device in her lap tightly, her knuckles turning white, while her face tinged red in anger and grief. She didn't want Danny to become interested in ghost hunting; she didn't want him to end up like her parents. She herself was a good ghost fighter, or at least according to simulation but she could never imagine herself fighting an actual ghost even if someone other than her brother was in danger. Ghost hunting was addictive and destructive, almost like a drug, with horrible consequences. She abruptly stood throwing the device against the wall, from where it slid down into the garbage can. "Jazz?"

"Let's go." She said curtly, walking out to the car. Her parents had started their addiction back in college seriously harming another student in the process. She was unaware of the details of the accident only that the man had spent 20 years in the hospital before becoming the richest man in the world. She glanced back at her brother who had just put his bowl in the sink. She gave him a look to hurry up before walking out of the kitchen. Danny dipped his hand into the trash as he passed, slipping the broken device into his backpack. Tucker and Sam followed him, with disapproving frowns. The trio piled into Jazz's car and they set off for school. "Danny, if you find anything of Mom and Dad you need to throw it out." Jazz told him, hoping that for once her brother would just agree with her.

"Jazz, we might-" Danny began.

"No, Danny, it will be thrown out." Jazz demanded, stopping a little too harshly outside the school. She unlocked the doors without another word. Today's events had already taken their toll on her and she wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep. Danny reached out to grab his sister's hand, but she moved it out of his reach. She wouldn't be able to handle it, him touching her with those hesitant hands. Danny didn't know how to seek comfort correctly and it broke her heart. His innocence and pure heart are the things she wished preserve within him, but at the moment she was too tainted with grief to be any help. Danny's blue eyes watered as he stared at his sister, silently begging for her acknowledgement. She knew it was cruel for her to do this to him, but she said nothing, knowing without the proper skills to ask for comfort or take comfort that he would give up. _He's so strong, keeping his hurt to himself. _Jazz kept her gaze firmly ahead, her shoulders shaking with suppressed sobs. _I'm so sorry little brother._ Jazz knew it was selfish, what she was doing, but she needed comfort. Her brother may not know how to gain comfort for himself, but he gave it so easily. Sam and Tucker exited the car, sensing that Danny needed time alone with his sister. He clasped his own hands together, trying to imagine what his mother would say in a situation like this.

"Jazz, Mom and Dad, they wouldn't want you to beat yourself up over this. This stuff was hidden in the house; maybe they wanted us to find it, just in case." Danny tried to explain softly. Jazz let a sob escape. Her twisted logic had worked and now she felt guilty.

"We don't need their broken ghost weapons Danny. None of them work! Not the Fenton Bazooka, not the Jack o' nine Tails, none of them. We're wasting our time." Jazz finished in a broken whisper, her hands gripping the wheel for an anchor in her inner world of confusion and grief. Danny stared at his sister in shock. Unaware that she had gone down to the lab, or that she had attempted to use the weapons left behind by their parents, Danny had always sidestepped conversations concerning the use of weapons to defend themselves. "The portal is closed, and unplugged, nothing will get through." She said with determination, trying to be stronger for her brother. She turned to her brother, staring into his eyes. "They won't hurt us if we don't bother them. This is why we have lockdowns." Danny opened his mouth to tell Jazz, that the paranormal creatures weren't left alone, and were slayed by the Guys in White. Then he saw the stress lines on her face, and the deep purple bags under her eyes.

"Alright Jazz." He whispered, stepping out of the car, and heading towards school without looking back at his sister. Jazz worried her lip as he brother walked away without his two friends at his side. She did a quick scan of the area before going to park her car. With a final sigh she grabbed her Fenton Thermos filled with tea and made her way into the building.

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The bell signaling the end of third period rang, the trio gathering their things and exiting to the hallway. As they began to ascend the stairway to the second floor Danny suddenly spoke. "I think I should tell her."

"She'll refuse to believe you." Sam responded. "Even if you prove it to her." Tucker nodded in agreement.

"Plus, she'll make you stop. Not that you have such a great handle on finding the paranormal to begin with, let alone fighting them." Tucker added. Danny sighed, his shoulders drooping. He had unsuccessfully attempted to catch three fairies the other day, quite a pathetic loss in his opinion.

"I know. I only have one working ghost weapon, and I still can't control this, this…whatever this thing is with my eyes." Danny growled heatedly, his hands wrapping tightly over the straps of his purple backpack. He resented that portal for giving him this power. He would have gladly chosen to live in ignorance like the rest of the town. His eyes started to tingle, little stars floating in his vision as if he had become light headed. "If someone catches me, I'll go from geek to freak." Tucker looked over at his friend. Though he would never admit it to his friend, the eerie green glow in his eyes unnerved him, especially when his eyes changed out of anger rather than the revealing of hidden creatures.

"Kinda like what you are doing now?" he asked, trying to keep things light. Danny quickly turned his head to look at his reflection in the glass panel of the fire extinguisher, and sure enough his irises had turned a deep green color. Danny scowled and moved his hair to cover his eyes. He couldn't afford anyone to see him. The people of Amity weren't ready to accept someone like him.

"Great." He muttered. Sam placed a hand on the glowering boy's shoulder. Danny looked to her in confusion. The touch had caused a strange jolting feeling and his eyes widened upon seeing something new.

"It is great Danny. This gift of yours, it makes you unique, and more importantly it chose you." Danny watched as Sam's aura swirled around her in a mix of white and green. He shook his head slightly trying to dispel the strange vision.

"Stop with the whole, it chose me, thing Sam. Nothing chose me." Danny denied, severely uncomfortable with the fact that what she was saying was most likely true. He was not the right choice, he wasn't a hero. He was a coward.

"It did Danny. I was in there with you. I saw it. It wasn't the ectoelectricity that entered you, it was something else." Sam explained, slightly remembering the hazy white energy that had entered Danny, right before she lost consciousness. She often wondered if it had specifically chosen Danny for his potential to be a hero, rather than his knowledge of the paranormal. If had it rather chosen him on instinct, some bonding ritual known to only the species of the white energy, a drive that couldn't be explained, the meeting of two souls on the same wavelength.

"Why didn't you tell me this before? I could have a ghost inside of me!" Danny whisper shouted in anger and disgust at the thought of a ghost within him. Sam had never mentioned the fact that something had entered him. Would it change his appearance slowly over time, or make him lose his mind. Would it harm him, take control of his body, would he die? Sam only gave a small smile that was much unlike her, however it was oddly reassuring. "Sam? I think the accident addled your brain." Danny responded with a laugh. Sam gave a chuckle before shaking her head.

"Unique is good Danny. That's why I'm ultra-recyclo-vegetarian." Sam told him, effectively changing the subject and returning to her normal facial expression of indifference. She hid her discomfort at what had just occurred. She had felt different, barely able to control the words coming from her. She shifted her attention back to her friends. Tucker began to comment on the absurdity of not eating meat when the warning bell rang. The three ran to their class, squeezing through the door right as the bell rang.

Danny took his seat in front of Dash, taking out a notebook to doodle in while waiting for Mr. Lancer to show up. His standing with Dash was confusing to say the least. The boy used to be friends with him during the early years of schooling, when nuggies had been out of brotherhood instead of hated. They had slowly drifted apart as Dash began to bully others, though he hadn't started in on the young raven haired boy yet. Their friendship had come to an end in the second grade when he met Tucker. Yet the blond was still there, a little silent protector. Fifth grade took a tragic turn when Dash had been hospitalized for three months due to an attack. Danny's parents never found the time to take him to visit, the blond's parents not bothered to go themselves left the boy with his grandmother to watch over him. Dash then began to bully Danny, claiming the boy forgot about him and was not a true friend. Yet, just the week before the blond had cried into his shoulder when the news of his grandmothers passing came to him during school. However at the moment, Dash decided it to be fun to shoot spitballs at the back of Danny's head. Sam and Tucker gave him a sympathetic grimace from across the room. Danny didn't acknowledge it, it was not a burden to deal with Dash, just emotionally straining.

"Stop it Dash." Danny complained weakly. Dash laughed and flicked Danny in the ear.

"Or what? You're going to go running to your sister?" Dash said with another bark of laughter. Danny clenched his fists in anger. No matter how much he wished Dash to be his friend again, Danny would stand for his sister to be brought into the conversation. "Well Fenton. I'm waiting for an answer." Danny stood and faced the still sitting Dash. Dash was stronger than him, true, but Danny knew his weakness, he just hoped he wouldn't have to use it. Sam got up from her seat, in case she needed to intervene. While Danny thought his semi on good terms friendship with Dash was a secret, Sam had learned of it during their stay in the hospital after the portal accident. Despite Danny's hopefulness Sam didn't agree, not thinking Dash would be able to redeem himself in her eyes. Kwan from the seat behind her began to chant.

"Fight, fight, fight." Soon the entire class joined in. Sam gave them all an annoyed look, before gazing over at Danny worriedly. Dash was a whole foot taller than Danny, not to mention that he played for the football team as quarterback. Dash gave Danny a lazy smirk before standing, effectively towering over the shorter boy. Danny willed his eyes to return to their normal blue so he could stare Dash in the face, looking less cowardly.

"What do you say Fenton?" Tucker shook his head rapidly, making 'don't do it' gestures from behind the tall, blond jock. Although he admired his friend's determination when it came to certain things, Danny simply didn't know when to back down when it came to Dash. It was as if something pulled them to be in conflict with each other. Blue eyes, met blue eyes in a challenging stare.

"I'll take you on anytime, anywhere." Danny told him confidently, though not loudly. He would always hold his ground against Dash, despite the odds. In Danny's mind to truly be strong, was to be stronger emotionally than your adversary was physically. Dash gave another smirk as he knocked Danny to the ground with one swift push to the chest.

"How about right here right now?" Dash taunted, as his clique laughed at Danny's expense. He cast a small glare their way and their laughter stopped. Humiliation wasn't his goal when he faced off against Danny, but rather to show that the boy wasn't needed in his life. That their friendship would never reinstate. Tucker gave Danny a dismayed look. Danny coughed twice, still staring up at the ceiling, from where he had fallen. He never really had it in him to be much of a fighter, despite the fact he was well trained in basic attacks such as punches and kicks. Danny preferred to keep peace as long as he could.

"I'm actually pretty occupied at the moment, what with keeping the floor warm, rain check?" Danny replied with the wit he had inherited from his mother. Tucker face palmed, and gave Danny a look that told him clearly to stop antagonizing the strongest kid in their grade. Dash rolled his eyes and helped the raven haired boy to his feet, much to the surprise of said boy and the class. Tucker's eyes widened in disbelief.

"You need to be less clumsy Fenton." Dash told him warmly, his large hand around Danny's smaller one. Danny began to smile at the boy, until he heard the classroom door close.

"Mr. Baxter, you truly represent all this school stands for." Mr. Lancer announced happily. Danny turned to see that their teacher had entered as Dash was helping him up. He looked at Dash with a glare, wrenching his hand out of the taller boy's, returning to his seat. He crossed his arms gloomily and stared ahead. '_Stupid of course he'd only help if a teacher was nearby.' _Danny was distracted from his musings when he heard a loud screech from the front of the room. Upon the desk was a large golden birdcage, an enraged owl within. The bird directed its attention to Danny and cocked its head in apparent confusion.

"This...is an Eurasian Eagle Owl." Mr. Lancer announced dramatically. He took the barrel chested bird from the cage. Its large orange eyes didn't look away from Danny as Mr. Lancer walked around the room. The upper plumage of the bird was very deep black. Along the backs and side of the neck were stormy grey streaks that gave way to dark brown-black splotches. Its feet and beak were black in color as well. "This owl's facial disc is peculiar as it is a pure white rather than the normal tawny brown." Mr. Lancer explained as he reached the front of the room once more. "The talons can grow up to an inch long, so do not frighten Juliet." The owl ruffled its feathers in anger. "A normal wingspan reaches from 63-74 inches, with the record being 79 inches. Juliet falls just short of this span with 78 inches. Juliet is long for her species, at 34 inches. Juliet is of course a female and as is typical is larger than her male counterpart. She weighs 10 pounds exactly, with a diet of small mammals and the ability to take down deer. They also consume venomous snakes, frogs, fish and insects. However with her added size I would not be surprised if she could attack larger animals. Juliet's kind prefers a rocky habitat such as mountains or cliffs."

"uh-hu." The owl hooted in a high pitch, surveying the people in the room.

"Why is she in Amity then?" Sam asked, not bothering to raise her hand.

"She was brought here by smugglers. The Animal Activist Association agreed for me to teach you about this bird before she was returned to her natural habitat." The owl lazily departed from Mr. Lancers arm and made its way to Danny's desk. It stared intensely at him, and the class all turned to watch the bird's interactions with the boy.

"Oh...uh...hi." Danny said uncertainly, hoping the bird wouldn't decide to attack him. The owl hooted softly in return, perching itself on Danny's shoulder and staring out at the class regally.

"Alright Juliet, return to your cage." Mr. Lancer said calmly, knowing that if the owl were to attack the boy, the damage would be devastating. The owl screeched, puffing out its feathers, causing Danny to flinch.

"Spooky." Tucker commented, staring at the bird in awe. The owl turned its head to look at him, giving a single hoot.

"Go on, back to Lancer." Danny urged the owl, getting up from his seat to bring the bird back. With a large call the bird dug its talons into Danny's shoulder, lifting the boy into the air.

"Great Gatsby! Daniel!" Mr. Lancer shouted in alarm as Danny screamed in pain. The owl took two swooping flaps backwards, releasing Daniel above his seat. Dash quickly caught the boy, lest he fall on his desk and injure himself. The owl landed on the boy's stomach touching its beak to his chest almost lovingly. "Daniel, are you alright?" Danny merely groaned in response, feeling a strange tingling from where the talons had pierced his skin.

"Fenton. You're - you're bleeding!" Dash exclaimed feeling the blood trickle from Danny's shoulder down his right arm. Though Dash knew perfectly well that Danny wanted to be friends again, he would not take him on offer that did not mean however that he didn't care about the boy's well-being. He was severely frightened that Danny would drop unconscious from blood loss and have to be taken to the hospital.

"Uh-hu." The owl called, landing away from the scene. No one noticed its eyes momentarily obtain a purple gleam. Dash stated at the bird for a moment after the eerie color change, regarding it with suspicion. To him it seemed as if the bird had targeted Danny.

"Take him to the nurse." Mr. Lancer instructed, becoming slightly green at the prospect of blood. Dash nodded, ignoring Sam and Tucker's attempts to gain the boy back.

"I'm fine." Danny said firmly, attempting to get to the floor from Dash's arms. Dash held him tighter with a frown.

"You were bleeding." Danny struggled and finally succeeded in getting to the floor, standing in one swift motion. There was a dull burning where the owl had pierced the flesh, but he would rather deal with it at home.

"Well, I'm not anymore." Danny said with a flourish of his hands. Mr. Lancer seemed conflicted but ultimately let Danny remain in class. Dash stared at the large stain of blood on Danny's white shirt for the duration of the class. He frowned once again. It was strange that it had ceased bleeding so rapidly, and that Danny had shown nearly no sign of pain. The bell rang signaling the end of class, and Dash called Danny over to him. Dash silently cursed himself in his head, knowing he would get a lot of talk about what he was going to do. The black haired boy approached him warily. Dash shrugged off his red letterman jacket and held it out to the boy.

"Here, get it back to me by tomorrow or else." Dash instructed before leaving the room. Danny stared after him in shock. Sam and Tucker came to his side.

"What was that all about?" Tucker asked. Sam kept quiet, already knowing why.

"I have no idea." Danny admitted, slipping on the jacket. It was comfortably warm and the padding felt nice on his wounded shoulder.

"Wait, you're going to wear it?" Sam asked in disbelief. Danny shrugged, wincing a bit as he did so.

"Mr. Lancer, how much would it be to buy the owl?" Danny asked.

**'Are you nuts? She almost killed you.'**

_'Sam, I need to get this owl. And aren't you supposed to be the animal lover.'_

**'I don't trust this owl. It looked like she targeted you.' **Danny frowned at Sam's distrust.

_'Sam, I'm getting her. Maybe she did target me but not to kill me.' _ Danny responded staring at the owl. When its eyes met Danny's both their eyes changed color for a few brief seconds, the owl's purple and Danny's green. Sam and Tucker both saw this and looked at each other in surprise.

"She would cost about 2,750 dollars. I highly doubt you can afford that." Mr. Lancer told him. The warning bell rang for lunch and Sam grinned, anticipating the new menu.

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Danny and Tucker froze in the doorway of the cafeteria in shock upon seeing the large banner that read 'Ultra-recyclo-vegetarian week'. Posters littered the walls and those already in the cafeteria were looking at their food dubiously. Tucker fell to his knees, useless syllables escaping his lips. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!" Danny pushed up the sleeves of Dash's jacket and hauled Tucker up by his arm, dragging him to the lunch line.

"Hey guys." Sam greeted. Tucker didn't respond a look of horror still plastered on his face. Danny rolled his eyes.

"Sam, how are we supposed to get 2,750 dollars to buy the owl." Danny asked in frustration. He didn't know he felt such an urge to get the bird, only that it needed to be soon.

"Her name is Juliet." Sam scolded as she grabbed her lunch tray. She knew the look on Danny's face, the one that screamed determination. Danny often put himself down, calling himself a coward and a weakling, but he was one of the bravest people she knew.

"No it's not. She hates that name. Did you see the way she puffed up whenever Lancer called her that?" Danny told her. "I think me and the owl have like a bond or something now."

"Wait, what?" Tucker asked, snapping out of his veggie shock. To him it seemed Danny was destined for the weird.

"I think she did it." Danny revealed as a piece of bread with grass growing out of it was placed on his tray. "What the heck?"

"Noooooooo! What have you done?" Tucker wailed. Weird bond with an owl or not, Tucker knew his priorities, and meat was one of them.

"It's not that bad Tucker." Sam chided, reveling in making the meat eater uncomfortable.

"Don't you think this is a bit extreme?" Danny asked as they walked back to the table. Danny always acted as the mediator between the two extremes, but it seemed as though Sam had outsmarted him. Tucker slumped in his seat.

"This it's gross." He suddenly sniffed the air. "There's meat nearby." Tucker dropped out of his seat sniffing the floor like a hound. Danny laughed while digging through his backpack revealing the fixed Fenton Finder. It began to beep rapidly.

**[Ghost near.]**

"Guys, we have a problem." A handful of mud hit the back of Danny's head. "Make that two." He said as he saw Dash prepare to launch another handful of mud.

_'Sam. Quick, a distraction.'_

"Everyone! There's meat in the teachers' lounge!" Sam shouted. The whole cafeteria bolted for the door, Danny making his way against the current, following the Fenton Finder's directions. Sam all but dragged Tucker after her, as the boy believed that there was meat and that it had not been a distraction. The trio regrouped in the kitchen. **[Ghost directly ahead.] **The ghost was a slightly plump lunch lady with green skin and white hair. The ghost turned and smiled at them kindly.

"Why hello children. Today's lunch is meatloaf, but I don't see any. Did someone change the menu?" She asked sweetly, making her way closer to them. Danny began to feel uneasy, despite the fact that the ghost didn't seem menacing in anyway. Sam moved forward, intending to tell the ghost about the changes she had made to the menu.

_'Don't tell her it was you.' _He told her in a panic.

"Yeah, she did." Tucker told the ghost, sticking his thumb to point at Sam. Danny face palmed. The walls of the kitchen began to rumble as the ghost floated higher, her hair splayed around her.

"YOU CHANGED THE MENU! THE MENU HAD BEEN THE SAME FOR THE LAST FIFTY YEARS!" The alarms blasted for emergency lockdown as several Guys in White burst through the wall, charging up weapons. Danny froze, the agents startling him. He shook his head and concentrated on identifying them.

"Entity level 5! Stand down!" The lunch lady gave a battle cry as meat began to attach to her ghostly form. It was horrifyingly artistic, as the blood dripped around like rain. The meat seemed to come alive, beating in a horrible discord with one another, the dripping juices vanishing inches from the ground.

"Lunch is sacred! Lunch has RULES! "She shrieked lunging for Sam, sharpened teeth exposed.

"Hold fire!" The ghost grabbed Sam causing the girl to scream as they disappeared through the floor.

"Come on, we gotta go!" Tucker urged Danny. The Guys in White were bound to notice them soon, as the threat had disappeared. The pair began to follow the ghost tracking device when they were pulled back by their collars.

"You two aren't going anywhere." A gruff voice said. The boys turned to see a blond haired man with sunglasses on, dressed in an all-white suit. "This is a level five lockdown ordered by Mayor Grey." The man frowned. "Aren't you that Fenton kid?"

"No, I'm Baxter." Danny showed the back of Dash's jacket to the Agent. "See?" Danny held his breath, hoping the Agent would buy his lie. He hadn't realized that he was supposed to be known by the whole organization, which put him on edge. Perhaps they were watching him, maybe they did know about his powers.

"Agent E, take these two to a lockdown location." The Agent nodded and grabbed the two by their upper arms taking them down the hall to throw them in Lancer's office. He harshly threw them into the room, closing the door behind him. Danny stared at the floor in confusion and fear. He didn't want to become a lab rat, or be imprisoned like his parents. _What are they going to do to Jazz? _Danny felt his heart seize slightly, his eyes widening.

"Hey! Let us out!" Danny shouted, banging his fists on the door. _Jazz, please be okay!_

"The door isn't locked." Tucker told him, demonstrating by turning the knob. He could see the panic in Danny's face, and for once he didn't envy him.

"Oh." Danny slumped against the door.

**'Danny!' **Suddenly rebounded in his mind, a shared terror filling him.

_'Sam, where are you!'_

_'_**Some kind of meat room. Danny, please hurry.' **

**'**_Don't worry Sam, we're on our way.'_

"Tuck, the Fenton Finder." Danny commanded, silently berating himself for almost forgetting about Sam in his panic. Tucker nodded and retrieved it from its fallen position on the floor.

"It's busted!" He exclaimed. A large screech sounded from outside the room.

"Hey get out of here you stupid owl!" Danny turned to Tucker and the both peered through the window in the door. With the guard distracted they slipped out, hiding around the corner. The owl finally swooped away from the guard and he resumed his post in front of an empty room.

"See, a bond or something." Danny commented as the owl landed on his shoulder. The owl regaled him with a knowing look. "Sam is being held in some type of meat room."

"Meat room?" Tucker asked in amazement taking a large sniff of the air. "It's here. 200 yards tops." The two boys and the owl made their way through the halls finally stopping in front of a metal door. "Here." Danny pushed the door open slowly, the hinges creaking loudly. The eeriness that awaited him seemed to grow darker with each passing second, the pressure pushing on him from all sides, his breathing becoming shallow. Tucker shielded his eyes as Danny's whole eye was encompassed by green, glowing brighter than ever before. Tucker reached out a hand, tapping the boy on the shoulder. Danny gasped suddenly, his eyes returning to normal.

"Let's go." Danny said, running down the steps, Dash's large jacket flapping about like a cape. Tucker started after him, wondering what had just occurred.

"Sweet mother of mutton!" Tucker exclaimed hugging a box of meat. Like previously stated, Tucker had his priorities.

"Look Tuck, meat trail." Danny said, acting as if the last few minutes had not occurred. He had been on the verge of seeing something, something that felt dark to him. He locked away the experience in the back of his mind, chalking it up to the faulty aura seeing power.

"SILENCE!" Danny jumped at the ghost's booming voice. Danny feared his suspicions were true; however there were more important matters at hand.

"No time for your weirdness Tuck." Danny cried. "It's time to kick ghost butt!" He whooped as he took off running. Tucker gave one last look at the box before following. Danny pulled out a small ring that had belonged to his mother, slipping it on his finger. He knew it belonged to his mother because she had worn it every day, even the day of her arrest. He had found it lying on top of his pillow one day after returning from school, no explanation, no clue, just the ring. His body surrounded itself with invisible ectoenergy that would allow him to touch ghosts. He rounded the corner and skidded to a stop.

"Whoa." Sam was trapped in a large pile of meat that pulsed as if it were alive, gurgling with juices, the normal looking lunch lady ghost coaxing her to eat meat. "Tuck, get her out of that meat pile."

"Way ahead of you." Tucker said as he took another bite. Danny gagged at the sight. Could Tucker not see the monstrosity of the meat pile? _Am I seeing things? _Danny's fist reeled back and connected solidly with the lunch lady, sending her flying into a stack of boxes behind her. His mother had trained him and Jazz to fight since they were younger, sessions taking place twice a week. Danny wasted no time and began to run towards the ghost, preparing a kick. The lunch lady's eyes suddenly snapped open, the whole eye green in color, grabbing the boy's foot and floating up thirty feet, Danny hanging upside down.

"No one changes the menu." She hissed out, releasing her hold on him. Danny felt his ankle slip out of her cold grip and he turned so his back was to the ground, the jacket flapping around him, his hair pulling straight up. Danny aimed the ring at the ghost, one eye closed in focus. He needed to scan it before it disappeared.

"Danny!" His friends screamed in unison as he plummeted towards the concrete floor. The boy lost his concentration, realizing he was feet from the ground. He twisted his body, hoping to break his fall. The owl swooped in, capturing Danny by his belt loop, slowing his descent.

"Wretched bird! I'll turn you into lunch!" Various meats attached themselves to the ghost in a swirl of red. Sam sprang to her feet as she was liberated. The meat monster gave a terrible roar.

"Run?" Tucker suggested. Danny and Sam nodded. The trio ran dodging various obstacles put in their way by the meat ghost. Danny desperately tried to think of a way to get out of the maze of meat boxes when a soft trilling filled his ears. His eyes darted around for the source, finally landing on the sprite from the garden. Danny jumped over a small pile of meat, careful not to lose sight of the creature. The sprite darted to the right.

"Guys, this way!" Danny called out to his friends. The trio followed the sprite until the came upon a yellow outline on the wall. The sprite disappeared through it, but the teens stopped, contemplating if it was a good idea to do what a paranormal creature had done. The meat monster roared and raised its fist. Danny grabbed his two friends and pulled them through the wall. The yellow glow dispersed once they appeared outside, the monster slamming into the wall. The sprite chimed, whirling happily around them. It caught sight of Danny staring at it and began to fly away. Danny knew he needed information from the creature and attempted to trap it in his hand. The sprite quickly armed itself with a bow and arrow, letting a small green arrow fly. It stuck Danny in the finger and he pulled his hand away in alarm.

"Danny, are you alright?" Tucker asked, running over. Danny felt the world spin around him. He attempted to stay standing, but failed falling to the ground. His eyes closed even as he heard his friends calling out.

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Danny struggled into consciousness, dimly aware of the threat of being unconscious in a town such as theirs. His eyes opened, the green irises giving way to their natural blue. The air was devoid of any identifying smell, it merely smelled like the nip of a cold winter wind. Danny's eyes roamed over the features of the room slowly, as if they had not come to the realization that they had awoken. Danny stared at the ceiling feeling out of place, entranced as one listening to a beautiful song. His body felt weak to him, yet he sat up regardless. He was clothed in as flimsy paper gown, a sterile blue blanket covering him. His hands reached up of their own accord, removing the oxygen mask that covered his mouth and nose. Danny took in a deep breath of real air, feeling his strength return to him. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, feet landing on cold tile. He shivered as he stood upright, using the nightstand to support himself. He made his way over to the mirror gripping the edge of it tightly. He inspected the shoulder where the owl had pierced him earlier, only to find a small marking instead. It was simple, merely a swirl of purple, ending in a trail of green. He gazed at his finger where the arrow had pierced him to see a small red x. He took a shuddering breath.

_**...it chose you.**_

Isn't that what Sam had been trying to tell him? Was he destined for something more? Danny pushed away from the mirror, grabbing his clothes that had been left on the chair by the bedside. He changed slowly, keeping his eyes on the door. As he finished he heard a muffled 'No you don't understand.' from the other side of the door. He took two bare footed steps towards the door before it burst open causing him to freeze up defensively. Sam and Tucker froze upon seeing their friend standing in the middle of the room looking lost. The doctor came following after.

"You can't..." The doctor's brown eyes widened as he saw his patient curl his arms around himself in confusion. The boy shouldn't have gotten up by himself; even after awaking from a coma it takes a few days for a patient to regain full abilities and strength.

"What's going on?" Danny asked, voice cracking from dryness. His friends rushed to his side, hugging him tightly. Danny allowed himself this small comfort before extracting himself.

"Mr. Baxter," The man began, having gone by the name on the jacket the boy was wearing. The other two teenagers had refused to give him a name, looking quite paranoid that he would spirit the boy away to a secret place. He hoped these three young teens weren't in some sort of serious trouble. "You were in a coma."

"A coma?" Danny parroted in fear and disbelief. _No, anything could have happened. Jazz could be gone!_

"It lasted four hours." The doctor relayed, "however, we could not find anything physically or mentally wrong with you. It was a strange case indeed."

**"Danny, I looked up what I could on sprites. I'll explain more later, but even by paranormal standards this isn't normal."**

Danny frowned worriedly, pulling the jacket closer around him. "My name is actually Danny Fenton." The man nearly dropped his clipboard in surprise.

"The ghost boy?" He asked fervently. Danny took a step back.

"I-I..." Sam looked at Danny in worry. "What?"

"You had an accident involving a ghost portal not even three weeks ago. The nurses started calling you the ghost boy, it stuck." Danny sighed in relief, thinking that the man had figured out he gained powers from ghost energy. "Where are your parents? May I speak with them?"

"They're dead." Danny said flatly. The doctor's smile faltered.

"I'm terribly sorry." Danny nodded mutely, while his brain screamed at him the injustice of his silence. There were no visits, no letters, nothing that proved to him that his parents continued to exist. He closed his eyes in regret.

"I want to go home." He told the doctor.

"You really should stay for more testing..." The doctor saw the boy's pleading look. "...but, seeing as how I could find nothing wrong with you, and you are a celebrity of sorts...you may go." Danny smiled, showing the man his gratitude. Tucker grabbed his friend's shoes and socks as Sam led him towards a chair in the hall. "Good luck, ghost boy."

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Danny walked between his friends towards his house, the trio discussing the purchase of the owl from school. He had convinced the other two of her necessity, but Danny was still preoccupied on how to get the cash required. Sam sighed, pulling out her wallet. "Well, you were going to find out eventually."

"Find out wh- holy father of tech!" Tucker exclaimed. Sam gave 30 bills to Danny.

"Sam, these are hundred dollar bills." Danny told her in disbelief. "How did you get so many?"

"I'm...kinda...you know...rich." She told them with a guilty edge to her voice.

"Wait, so you're rich and you chose to eat garbage!" Tucker shouted with his arms straight in the air for emphasis. Sam's fists moved to her hips.

"It's not garbage! It's recyclable organic matter!" Sam yelled back. "Just because I'm rich doesn't mean I can't be unique."

"Yeah, well your need to be unique almost got you killed. Not to mention you endangered Danny and me as well because we had to go save you! I'm changing the menu back." Tucker growled out, storming off in the direction of his home.

"Over my dead body!" Sam shouted at the retreating boy, stomping away in the opposite direction. Danny sighed before continuing home. He braced himself mentally before entering. Jazz sat on the purple couch, biting her nails.

"Biting your nails is a bad habit." Danny commented softly, closing the door behind him. A small smile graced her lips briefly, her eyes regaining that spark of life that Danny admired so much before it was gone once more, her now normal expression of one whom had aged to quickly upon her.

"Danny, where have you been?" Whispered past Jazz's lips. There was no anger, just weariness and worry. Danny almost wished that she would be angry, anything was better than seeing her like this.

"I was with Sam and Tucker." Danny told her. It wasn't exactly a lie, but he still felt guilty. Jazz thought they were safe at home when in reality it was the most dangerous place to be. The Guys in White had closed the door, disabling the open button; however the mechanism that kept the door closed was faulty. Jazz having taken it a step further had unplugged the machine altogether. Danny knew it would not affect the portal, for having it plugged in was only to generate the initial spark, and now the portal ran independently off spectral energy.

"During a lockdown?" She said with concern. "Danny it's dangerous out there!" She exclaimed with a timidness that unreasonably angered Danny. Danny unfurled his fist in shock. The way Jazz acted had never angered him before, but now he felt an alien hate for her weakness. _Jazz is not weak. She's the strongest person I know. _"You could have been attacked!" She shouted in anger. Danny felt his blood rush for the impending argument. "What if a werewolf got you, or a witch, or...or"

"Or a ghost Jazz!" Danny yelled, with a maniac grin. Jazz got to her feet. There was something off about her little brother.

"Ghosts don't exist in this world." She hissed out, hair frazzled. "They only got in because of that stupid portal, if mom and dad hadn't built it..." She finished in a sigh. Her brother was too silent for her liking and she looked up to meet eyes of ice.

"So you blame them." Danny said simply. Jazz spook her head in denial.

"Danny, why would you...no of course not!" She defended.

"Ghosts are real. Whether you like it or not, Jazz." Danny spat out harshly. Danny didn't know why he was being so cruel, only that it gave him a feel of exhilaration, the want to fight. _This thing is changing me._

"What has gotten into you?" Jazz asked, eyes warm, reaching out to her brother with her left hand. There on her ring finger was a simple green band. It had a single engraving, in a language neither of them could decipher. Jazz wore it as a promise to put her brother before any potential relationship. Danny couldn't stand the sight of it. He stumbled away. He couldn't blame whatever entered him for his behavior; it was him, him acting up.

"I'll be upstairs." He blurted out, running to the stairs. He wasn't running away, it was a tactical retreat, he told himself. Jazz watched her brother go, a frown etched into her face. _He's already at blame. Danny has never blown up in anger so quickly. _Jazz had prided herself in knowing her little brother well, but since the accident her brother seemed more on edge than usual, as if he were hiding something. It frustrated her, she had never faltered in helping her brother before, but now she was simply lost. She closed her eyes in grief, moving into the kitchen.

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Danny held his ear to the door of his room, trying to determine if his sister was going to attempt and approach him. When no sound was heard he slipped out of his room through the window, shimmying down the drain pipe, wincing at every clank he made. With a small thud he landed on the ground, already planning his route to school. His red converse thumped lightly with every step that he took. He checked his watch once again, increasing his speed slightly. He mentally scolded himself for sneaking out, but it was as if he couldn't help it. The owl was important to him now. Danny froze upon seeing Dash sitting in plastic lawn chair in front of his blue house. The Jock hadn't noticed him yet, preoccupied with tossing a tennis ball up and down to himself. _Dammit. If I go by he'll notice me. But if I go the other way I won't make it before lockdown. _A crash from within the house caused Dash to flinch, dropping the tennis ball. The small ball rolled down the sidewalk, stopping at Danny's feet. _Fuck! _Danny looked back at Dash, who wore a menacing grin. Another crash from within the house made the grin fade.

"What are you doing, Danny?" Dash asked. _He called me Danny._

_"_Oh, uhm, I'm going to the school." Danny answered, putting his hands into his pockets. It was strange, speaking without veiled insults, with no one to shift the outcome of the conversation. Dash looked up to the sky.

"Nerd." It was said softly, with the faintest hint of amusement, the same way it was said when they were six. Danny gave a small chuff of silent laughter, turning his attention to the sky as well.

"I miss this." Danny admitted softly. He shook his head once in amusement, continuing to the school. He kicked the tennis ball accidentally, just as another crash resonated. Danny picked up the ball, shifting it in his hand, before tossing it back to Dash. "You can come with if you want." Danny told him neutrally. Muffled yelling was heard from within the house.

"I better stay here." Dash responded. He looked over at Danny suspiciously. The boy seemed perfectly fine, considering what had happened earlier that day. It was then that he noticed that the small raven haired boy was still wearing his coat. Dash felt warmth, knowing that one person still considered him a good person worth caring about. Danny nodded, and then took off in a run towards the school. He reached the doors just as a white van pulled up into the front lot of the school. Three people came out of the van, two dressed in tawny brown uniforms, with thick gloves on their hands, and one dressed in a black business suit, seemingly impatient.

"Of all the hell holes to travel to the bird had to be here." The businessman said in disgust, his brown eyes narrowing. Danny frowned at the man, stepping up to the trio, assuming that they were the ones who were to take the owl back. The suited man noticed Danny's approach and gave him a warily look, as if the teenager might attack him. He nervously slicked back his short blond hair. "What can we do for you?" Danny ignored the man and directed his attention to the pair dressed in uniform. One was a woman with blond hair pulled back into a ponytail, which towered over the ginger haired man next to her.

"Are you guys here for the Eurasian owl?" he asked them, not bothering to introduce himself. The woman smiled brightly.

"Why, yes we are. Aren't you just a smarty pants?" she commented overly joyfully. Danny frowned, already not liking the woman, she clearly thought him an idiot. Danny could see the cruelty behind her eyes, and knew that she wasn't just a simpleton who thought every child was the age of three. She was vicious, and determined. From the resemblance Danny assumed that the suited man was her brother, which meant the man next to her, must be her husband. A family business.

"I'm here to buy the owl." Danny told them, wanting to leave these people as soon as possible. The woman blinked twice, before an artificial smile worked its way onto her face.

"Sorry sweetie, this bird costs more than the petty allowance your parents give to you." Danny's eyes narrowed, fists clenching at his sides. His eyes tingled, and then he saw it. A swirl of gray and dark blue, forming around her body. It disappeared as quickly as it had come, but it still unnerved him. He was unsure how to interpret the colors, or why they appeared, or even if this power would stay. Over the course of the past week several powers had flared up, only to never been seen again. _**It chose you. **_Danny severely hoped that whatever was within him would realize that he was a horrible host and leave him.

"I have the money." The man in the suit scoffed. He took a document out of his briefcase, and analyzed it.

"According to the current standings of bird purchasing, it would be 2, 750 dollars. I highly doubt you managed to come up with that amount." he reprimanded, casting an unamused stare towards the teenager. "Run along, we have more important business to attend to." The doors squeaked open behind them and Mr. Lancer came out carrying the owl in the cage.

"Mr. Fenton, what are you doing here?" the pudgy teacher asked.

"I've come to buy the owl. I have the money to pay for her. I actually have more than enough." Danny explained casting a disgruntled glance at the woman and her brother as he said the last part. Danny dug into his pocket to pull out the wad of cash, only to find that it wasn't there. He cursed in his head before checking his other pocket. His eyes widened. _Dammit! I must have dropped it on my way here. _The man in the suit was staring at him expectantly, and when he saw the acute horror on the boy's face a smirk slipped onto his face.

"Well, well, well. Have the money do you? You have completely wasted our time, just like any other waste of space-"

"Fenton!" Danny whirled around to see Dash running towards him. The raven haired boy stared at him in confusion, until he saw the stack of green that the jock held in his hand. "You dropped this by my house." he explained as he handed the money over to the smaller boy. Danny accepted the money and turned to the businessman with a menacing grin.

"Where did you leave off? I believe it was waste of space?" he growled out. The man took a small step back. The woman crossed her arms and scowled, but the ginger haired man quickly came forward to assist Danny with his purchase. After all the appropriate documents were signed and the correct change had been returned the three adults left, leaving the Eurasian owl with Danny.

"You boys better get home, lockdown is in 20 minutes." Mr. Lancer warned them, heading back into the school. Dash peered into the cage that held the owl.

"You bought her, even after she attacked you?" he asked, in barely concealed concern. Danny smiled at the owl.

"She didn't attack me. She was just scared." Danny lowered the cage to his side, staring at Dash. "Thanks for catching me earlier today; I probably would have broken my spine if it wasn't for you." Danny said, looking away as he did so. Dash smirked at him, and began to walk away.

"What are friends for?" he called over his shoulder, not looking back. He couldn't help himself. He wanted to be friends with Danny, but it was better for the raven haired boy if they weren't. Danny rolled his eyes in response, gazing at the stars. A soft breeze pulled at the letterman jacket he was wearing and he shifted his gaze to the school.

'_Sam?'_

'**Yeah? What's up Danny?' **she thought with slight concern.

'_Sprites can't do magic, right? Like portals and stuff?'_he asked her, remembering the yellow outline on the wall.

'**Right, they have elemental powers that coincide with their subspecies, and can enchant their weapons, but that is it. Danny, that coma you were in was caused by a sprite arrow. You should have been unconscious for sixteen hours. Sixteen, Danny.' **she emphasized. Danny didn't respond, running his fingertips slowly over the wall where the portal had opened. '**Danny?'**

'_I'll see you tomorrow.'_

'**Alright. Be careful.'**

"What do you think?" Danny asked directing his attention to his owl.

"uh-huh." she responded. The whine of a speaker filled the air.

**: : The time is now 6:50 pm, lockdown will initiate in 10 minutes. Please enter your homes and be sure to lock all doors, windows and chimney shafts. Do not under any circumstances open your door after the final alarm has gone off. If you are left outside find shelter as quickly as possible. The time is now 6:50…: :**

Danny zoned out the warnings issued by the intercom as it looped, repeatedly. He grabbed the cage and made to go back home, only to pause. He quickly glanced around him, bringing the cage to his chest. Danny began to walk slowly, listening for any sound of being followed. "Come on, let's get home." He whispered to his new pet, quickening his pace.

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Danny snuck down the stairs at five am the next morning, careful not to make any noise lest he wake his sister. His new owl, which he had dubbed Spooky, sat dutifully on his shoulder as he descended the stairs. He heard the faint whine of the speakers outside as they came to life.

**: :The time is now 5:00 am. Lockdown has officially ended.: : **Danny opened the fridge and pulled out a piece of ham which he fed to Spooky. The boy proceeded to the window from the living room, from which Spooky flew out landing on the nearby tree.

"Meet me at school." he told her. Spooky hooted and launched herself into the sky. Danny smiled as he watched her go, but that smile soon turned into a small frown. Walking home yesterday had been uncomfortable to say the least, with the constant feeling of being watched, yet no one had approached him, nor attacked him. _It's the Guys in White _his mind supplied, putting him on edge. He closed the window, making sure to secure the locks again. He stared out of it, looking for any sign of vigilance but found none. He shook his head to rid himself of this unfounded paranoia and walked back upstairs intending to get another two hours of sleep. However, he slept another two and half hours, and was once again in a hurry to get ready for school. He slid in to the kitchen, pulling his shirt over his head.

"Your socks don't match." Jazz commented, taking a sip from her tea. Danny looked to the ceiling in silent exasperation, before running upstairs. As the morning before Jazz got up and poured Danny a bowl of cereal. It was his favorite, Froot Loops, and had been his favorite since he was a little boy. Her head turned to the wall that contained family pictures, her eyes turning to the one that showed Danny hugging a box of Froot Loops. She frowned and walked closer to the picture, tracing her slender fingers along the glass. She pulled away in surprise upon finding that the glass had a long crack down the left edge. Danny reentered the kitchen and she retired to her seat, downing the last of her tea. Danny haphazardly shoveled food into his mouth, checking his phone as he did so.

"Sam and Tucker are already at school." He told her, chugging the milk from his bowl.

"Then let's get going." Jazz said, grabbing her purse and red satchel, heading out to her car. Danny nodded and ran to the living room to get his backpack. He found the slightly worn purple backpack lying open next to the couch and he proceeded to gather the spilled papers into the bag. He paused at a slight disturbance in the room.

"Hello?" He called out, gazing around the room from his crouched position.

"Danny, hurry up!" Jazz shouted, honking her horn for emphasis. Danny slowly slipped his backpack onto his right shoulder as he stood up. With one last look around he rushed out the door, locking it behind him. He bounded into the car, taking his seat next to Jazz. "What took you so long?" Danny opened his mouth to tell her about the strange disturbance he had felt, but then felt that is was better left unsaid.

"My notebook was stuck under the couch." He told her, for her protection from whatever it was that had been in the house. He contemplated the implications of someone watching them. Whatever entity, or creature or force he had felt, could've easily overpowered them already. Could it be that it was protecting them? _'Or does it just want me?'_ He shook his head, convincing himself that everything would be fine once he arrived at school.

"Or not" he thought aloud as Jazz pulled into the school parking lot. The sidewalk directly leading to the front doors seemed to be some divide in a battle. On the one side were the meat eaters. Several rib eye balloons were tied to the main stage, and in the hands of its supporters. People walked about dressed as meat, five girls on stage dancing as matching hot dogs. Danny face palmed a he saw Tucker come into view with a megaphone.

"What do we want?!" He shouted into the device, his voice reaching everyone in the crowd. The crowd enthusiastically replied.

"Meat!"

"When do we want it?!" Tucker asked them.

"Now!" They cheered, raising their fists in the air. Danny grimaced at the clamoring of the crowd and turned to the other side. The schools collection of Goths, hippies, and animal activists made up the crowd. Sam stood on top of a school bus that holding a green sign that proclaimed the word NOW! Her and her crowd were repeatedly chanting.

"Veggies, now! Veggies, forever!" Both Sam and Tucker caught sight of him at the same time, jumping down from their respective stages to greet him.

"You guys set this all up in two hours?!" He asked in disbelief. Tucker grinned and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Meat eaters, Danny. We're always ready to fight and our high protein diet gives us the energy we need to do it quickly." He explained, glaring at Sam.

"Ultra recyclo vegetarians are always ready to protest and since we don't have to cook our food, we can move even faster." She responded, poking Tucker in the chest. Spooky chose that moment to make her appearance, and land on Danny's shoulder.

"You're both nuts." he commented, not being able to imagine the amount of work it must have taken to do all of the work.

'"No choice buddy. You're either with me-" Tucker began proudly.

"Or against him." Sam finished, crossing her arms. Danny looked between the two, before his eyes widened, the Fenton Finder beeping faintly from his backpack.

"I'm going with the winning side, and right now…" Danny pointed to the far right corner of the school, where the grills and trucks were rattling, and meat floating through the air towards the lunch lady ghost.

"HA!" Tucker exclaimed, laughing at Sam's face. His laughing died down after her received blank stares from Danny and Sam. Tucker looked over his shoulder at the monster again. "Oh, wait…"

"IT'S LUNCH TIME!" The meat monster bellowed sending out a spatter of blood in her wake. The students screamed, and scattered around the courtyard, even as alarms blared from the speakers. Star ran past them, almost in hysterics and covered in thick red blood, with Paulina trying to direct her to the school safe room. Danny spotted several unmarked vehicles making their way towards the school.

"Let's go." He commanded, running towards the monster, with yells of 'Wrong way, moron' and 'Fenton, turn around' following in his wake.

Jazz frantically searched the crowd for her brother, her Fenton Thermos clenched so tightly in her hand that it left marks on her hand. She tried to calm herself by telling herself that her brother was most likely on the other side of the school, with his friends, but it did no good. She pushed her way through the crowd.

Danny took several meat balloons in his hand, breaking the ropes with one swift movement, hoisting himself into the air. Sam and Tucker paused at the stage, unsure of copying Danny's actions. The raven haired boy swung back and forth with the balloons, directing himself to the rooftop. He dropped down on to it with a small thump, the balloons floating away. The giant meat ghost roared and aimed a punch in Danny's direction. The boy reacted quickly, rolling out of the way, while simultaneously slipping the ring on to his finger. He felt the tingle of the unseen energy force surrounding him, and with a mighty yell he ran towards the edge of the roof, startling the ghost. Danny leapt, reeling back his fist, and delivered a solid punch in the monster's face, causing it to take a few, clumsy steps back. The ghost's roar was even more deafening up close Danny learned as the thing grabbed him in its pulsing meat hand. The meat monster threw the boy, the wind whistling past his ears as he travelled at least fifty feet above the creature. Danny narrowed his eyes, and twisted his body so he would fall, fist first towards the monster. The ghost continued to harass the two teens on the ground, by throwing pile after pile of meat at them.

"Hey Lunch Lady!" Danny shouted as he neared the monster. The meat covered woman looked up in alarm. "How about a knuckle sandwich!" His fist connected with the bloody contorted pile of meat, sending it out in separate directions. The meat landed in small piles around the schoolyard. Danny crumpled into the ground, hitting his knee in the process. Sam and Tucker ran over to him as several men in suits rounded the corner. The meat piles shuddered and became five small monsters with glowing green eyes. They quickly encircled the three teens, cackling madly. Shouts were heard from the suited men as they ran towards the teens, only to be stopped by a separate hoard of meat monsters, which quickly attached to their faces. Sam and Danny quickly sprang into action, kicking and smashing the mini monsters around them, while Tucker uselessly muttered about meat betraying him. As Danny smashed the last monster under foot he looked up, locking eyes with a man making his way over. He was dressed in the same pristine white suit as the others, but there was not a single blood spot to be found. A mini monster screeched and leapt from the bushes, aiming for the man's face. Without taking his eyes off of Danny, the man punched the mini monster directly in the gut, causing it to disassemble, not a single curl of dark hair falling out of place. He flicked the blood of his hand in one swift movement, stopping in front of Danny. Danny gazed up at him in awe, dimly aware that his jaw was hanging slightly ajar.

"This is a level 5 lockdown." he growled out. Danny opened his mouth to reply, when two mini monsters phased from under foot grabbing him by the ankles. He looked down only to have his vision flipped as he was dragged into the air. They dangled the boy dangerously high, and Danny was ashamed to admit that he screamed like a teenage girl at a boy band concert. The man however, kept his composure and drew what looked like an ecto gun from his belt. He closed one moss green eye as he took aim, before firing two shots in rapid succession. Danny felt the mini monsters explode and mentally sighed, before realizing this meant he would plummet to the ground. He screamed again, arms flailing wildly, before he forced himself to calm down and turn to his back. Danny braced himself for impact, and was surprised when he fell into a pair of arms. He tentatively let one blue eye pop open, only to see that the strange man had caught him. The stranger let Danny fall the last few feet, much to the outrage of Sam and Tucker, however the man, stared at them with disinterest. Danny stood swiftly, brushing dirt off of himself. The man's gaze focused on to him.

"Thanks for saving me." he practically gushed. He knew this man could very well be the one holding his parents captive, but he couldn't help himself. The precision the man had with an ectogun, and his direct and powerful punches made him admirable.

"Get inside kid." He told him, but without the authoritative bite his first words had contained. It couldn't have been described as warmth, but something similar had been in those words.

"Yes, sir. Right away." Danny responded, calling for his friends to follow him. The trio waited until they had rounded the corner to the front of the school, before speaking. Sam and Tucker stopped in front of Danny with their arms crossed. "What?"

"Fangirl much?" Sam quipped with a small smirk on her face. She expected a quick denial, or a tactical response, and already had her sarcastic 'yeah sure' geared up. What she had not expected was for Danny to go red in the cheeks and stammer out a weak 'shut up', before pushing past them. Sam and Tucker looked at each other in evil humor, before catching up to Danny.

"Oh, handsome man in white, how you make my heart take flight." Tucker recited solemnly. Danny turned swiftly and punched him in the gut. Tucker groaned and fell over with a loud thump.

"I never said- is that the Fenton Thermos?" Danny trailed off, spotting the device in the grass a few feet away. Tucker wheezed in response. Sam picked up the thermos and tossed it to Danny. "Jazz was using this for tea earlier."

"I'm sure she just dropped it in the panic to get inside." Sam rationalized. Danny shook his head.

"Jazz always goes to the back tables in the morning, she would have entered from the back doors." he explained as he examined the thermos. It was a sleek silver cylinder with green design, a button on the side that appeared like the cut out of a ring. He lifted the cap and made a face. "Gross." he commented as he poured out the tea. His hand rested on the power button, and the green designing pulsed blue. He frowned and removed his hand, noticing that he still had the ring on. He looked at Tucker in alarm. "Get Tucker to the nurse, he could be seriously injured." Sam nodded and helped the techno geek to his feet, the two disappearing inside. Danny waved his hand over the power button again, and as before it pulsed with a blue design. He heard voices coming from around the corner and he dove into the bushes. Three agents ran past him without a glance, but the fourth one stopped as he stepped into the puddle of tea. Danny covered his mouth with his hand to stifle his breathing. It was the same man who had talked with him. The cloudy green eyes scanned the area before he followed his fellow agents. Danny slipped his ring off and studied it, proceeding to snap it into the power button. The thermos hummed to life, the design turning blue to signify it was powered on. Danny gasped as a tingle of electricity ran through him, his eyes turning green in response.

"Lockdown has advanced to level 7." The speakers announced loudly. Danny stood and exited his hiding spot, whistling for Spooky. The owl appeared and circled around him.

"Let's finish this. Go distract the men in suits; I'll take care of the ghost." Spooky hooted her agreement before flying away. Danny ran back the way from where he came, searching for the Lunch Lady ghost. She floated in the middle of the courtyard, several incompetent Guys in White wrapped in meat cocoons. He fumbled with the thermos, catching her attention.

"Soup? Soup is not on the menu!" She screeched, her hair splayed around her head. Danny smashed the button on the side as she lunged towards him. A large, swirling blue light burst from the thermos, encasing the ghost and pulling her in. The meat from the cocoons fell away and he heard shouts as more agents approached. There were no open spots to conceal himself and he knew he wasn't fast enough to outrun them. Thinking quickly he removed the ring from the thermos then hid the thermos under his pant leg, secured with his shoelace. "Here goes everything" he told himself as he slipped the ring on. He took a deep breath and punched himself in the face. He collapsed to the ground as the men rounded the corner, but did not fall unconscious, much to his regret as he had a splitting pain blooming from his left cheek. Footfalls approached him and he lazily turned his head, wincing as his cheek touched the ground. Black boots where the only thing in his line of sight. A gloved hand grabbed his face as he prepared to bite down on it, if they tried to cut of his breathing. To his surprise the hand gently coaxed him to turn his head. As he did so he caught sight of the same semi curled hair from earlier, before his left eye began to swell up. The man prodded at the bruise that was forming on the boy's cheek, as his squadron came up to him.

"Let the punk be, someone will find him." A man stated, causing anger to boil in Danny. The strange man stood and a resounding crack filled the air. Danny could only assume that the man that had spoken had received an open palm slap to the face.

"We are supposed to detain or put down beasts to protect the people of Amity, not destroy monsters and act like assholes. Who did you train under Agent K?" The man demanded.

"Under Warden, sir." Agent K said with a bit of hesitance. The man scoffed in disgust.

"I should have known. Gather the rest of the squadron, and report back to base." he commanded. The men responded the affirmative and departed. The man turned back towards Danny, checking his breathing and pulse. In one swift motion he cradled Danny in his arms bridal style and began to walk towards the school. "I know your conscious kid." he said simply.

"So, you guys are real huh?" Danny rasped out with a small laugh. "What are you, their leader of something?"

"No one can know about this. Understood?" The man told him, his cold attitude in place again. Danny nodded, immediately regretting it as pain seared through his head and across his eyes. The man entered the infirmary of the school, noting the same two teens from earlier. One was sitting in a chair getting gauze wrapped around his stomach, the other stood in the doorway between the room and the office, arms crossed, purple eyes set into a glare. A red haired teen lay on one of the open beds, unconscious. His eyes narrowed as he noticed the extremely faint green tinge around her mouth and nose. One of his men must have used their government grade chloroform on her. His fist curled, and he accidently had gripped the young boy's wrist, causing him to squirm in his grip. The man released the boy's wrist and laid him on the other unoccupied bed in the infirmary. The boy turned his head and squinted at the girl next to him.

"Jazz?" He whispered, reaching for her. The man walked to the opposite side of the bed and pushed it closer to the young woman's bed. The blue eyed boy grabbed the hand of the other patient. The nurse looked at the man, before turning to tend the boy. He pushed her hands away. The man walked to the corner of the room and leant against the wall, watching the scene. "No, Jazz first." he urged, still avoiding the Nurse's hands.

"Danny," she chastised. The man took this familiarity into account. ", your sister is unconscious. Let me help you." The boy went limp and allowed the nurse to proceed.

The man scanned the unconscious girl, noting the resemblance that she had to the boy. Same curved cheekbones, similar sloped nose, and fine, thin hair. His eyes turned to the girl in the doorway, who had been watching him the whole time in suspicion. He could tell that she was analyzing him. He smirked, her skills were hardly up to his own, his fathers were the best consulting detectives in the world. He pushed himself off of the wall and exited, not bothering to bid farewell. He was the youngest member to be a squadron leader, only being eighteen years old, though many often commented that he appeared to be at least twenty five. It was a misconception really when people told him this, he did not look that age physically, but his authority position and detached demeanor, unwittingly forced them to associate a higher number with his age, thus fooling them into thinking he looked older in some way. He had no need to feel warmth towards anyone, besides his two fathers and a few members of their respective families, along with select teachers from his school in Scotland. However, this person, this boy, was intriguing. Deducing him while he was in this state proved to be difficult, and he knew he would have to consult with his Father. The topic of creature rights was important to him, because most were more intelligent that human beings, which ignorantly fire upon anything they don't understand. It was why he took this position; however he always had to contend with the trainer at base, Warden, who believed all creatures were scum that needed to be locked up. He got into his van and sat at the wheel for some time. The woman sitting in the office had looked familiar, but he couldn't place his finger on it. He shook his head and started the van, heading back to base.

Sam crossed the room to Danny's side, scanning him for any other bruises, even though the Nurse had already done so. **Did he do this to you?**

_No, I did it to myself. I didn't have time to escape. The others wanted to leave me alone out there on the ground._

**Why did he help you?**

_I don't know, he's different I guess. He wants to help Amity, not control it._

"You guys are doing the thing aren't you?" Tucker said, standing up from his seat. "What is Danny expressing his love for the Agent?" he said with a smirk, Danny gave him the best glare he could manage.

"Commander." he said after a while. "He's the leader of the squadron." Danny began to laugh. "He slapped Agent K across the face, for wanting to leave me outside." Danny quieted himself. "He isn't that much older than us. I thought he was older, because of his authority and coldness, but...when he was acting human, for lack of a better word, he seemed, like another teenager."

"That still doesn't answer the question of, why you?" Sam retorted. "Why did he open up to you within minutes of meeting you?"

"Maybe because Danny fell for him. Ha get it; because you fell...I'm going to go see if Mrs. H has any candy." Tucker trailed off, walking into the adjoining office.

"I probably remind him of someone he knows, or someone he's lost. I'm not special in any way to warrant that kind of attention."

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**[Met someone today. Is there a word for reenacting a scene from someone else's past? Misplaced deja-vu? Quite the puzzle. Also need new pair of loafers, stepped in puddle of tea. HWH] **He slipped his phone back into his pocket as he unlocked the door to his government issued apartment in Amity. It wasn't much larger than his flat back home, but it always felt empty. His phone buzzed twice as he set his jacket on the back of his dining room chair.

**[Unfortunately there is not. Although if you had thought to play around with French roots, Vivez-Vu would have be adequate. SH]**

Hamish frowned slightly, fingers clicking away at the screen.

**[You can't just invent words. What happened? JW]**

The teenager smiled and deleted his previously typed words

**[I came across a peculiar boy. He's about 14 years old, was outside during a ghost attack. HWH]** Hamish mentally berated himself for mentioning a ghost. There were several minutes that passed by as he waited for a reply. In this time he stalked around his house, correcting his picture frames.

**[Appearance, did he encounter the ghost directly, was anyone around, the way he spoke? Why did you mention vivez vu? SH] **

**[You can't just start using the word like it exists! :( JW]** Hamish laughed at his Dad's emoticon while hurridely typing a reply.

**[Vivez vu, it was how you described Dad and you meeting for the first time. He thought I was amazing, and the people around at him thought I was rude, or cruel. As for everything else, Black hair, fine, well kept, blue eyes, traces of stress lines. A bit shorter than average height, scrawny, but not overly so. Baggy pants, more open towards the bottom, regular tee- shirt, and converse sneakers, one without shoelaces. Pale silver ring with green gem, appearing to be a woman's, kept on pointer finger of right hand. First meeting: two mini meat monsters pulled him dangerously high in the air, alarmed more at height than ghost, because I saw him squish one underfoot. Reflexively turned on back when plummeting towards the earth. People around: my idiot coworkers with mini monsters attached to their faces, two other teens, one Caucasian Goth female, one African American technology nerd male, and one owl in nearby tree. Mistaken for Baxter by field Agent E and G. Goth was first victim of ghost, which can only mean she was rescued, but not by my men. Second meeting: ghost threat gone, my men just freed from meat cocoons, boy conscious with blooming bruise on left cheek, spreading to swelling of eye. Two companions not found. Brought to infirmary by me, two companions are present, male getting treated. He reacts to unconscious young woman on a bed, his sister, urging the nurse, who calls him by his first name, to help her first. Sister was obviously blood related, wore green ring with undecipherable inscription on ring finger of left hand. Boy clutched her hand, even though she would not be aware. Goth guarded as I watched the nurse check the boy. Familiar woman in back office, view obstructed by Goth girl. HWH]**

**[Interesting...SH]**

_SH has signed off_

**[Wait...what? JW]**

**[It appears you'll be paying me a visit. HWH]**

**[Great. :p JW]**

Hamish laughed heartily at his Dad's reply before returning the phone to his pocket.

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The school speakers squeaked to life after all the Guys in White had left the area, announcing the end of the lockdown. Following the announcement was the principal. "Good morning Casper High Students, due to the incident the school schedule will be pushed back a full half hour. There are seven minutes until the beginning of classes."

Danny reluctantly let go of Jazz's hand so he could remove the thermos from his leg. He placed the thermos next to him as he replaced his shoe, only to be distracted by the red blinking screen on the side. He grabbed it and brought it to eye level. "Destination…" he read aloud. Feeling foolish he stated 'Ghost Zone' clearly. The thermos whirred loudly, ending with a small ding. Danny tentatively opened the cap, relieved to find that it was void of any ghost.

"That was dangerous." Sam commented. Danny rolled his eyes.

"We're changing the menu back. No complaints." Danny told her, placing the thermos inside of his backpack that was mysteriously in the same room. He briefly wondered how it had shown up in the room when he distinctly remembered dropping it outside.

"But she's gone now." Sam responded with a tone of anger. Danny frowned, looking up at her, putting his train of thought on pause.

"It almost got you killed." he reminded her in a low tone. Sam looked away from him, realizing he was right. Danny buckled his backpack shut, and resumed his train of thought. His backpack had been laying open in the morning, his things lying under the couch; however he had closed it the night before, leaving it next to his bed. His internal alarms blared at him, telling him he was being watched, followed, and perhaps even investigated. '_But by who? A ghost?'_ It wasn't the only explanation; several creatures could bypass the security if they really put their mind to it. He grabbed his bag and dumped the contents onto the bed. Sam looked at him in surprise, but he ignored her, sorting through everything in his bag. He checked his important files first, such as things for school, and not quite hidden journal recording the creatures he had encountered. The lock was in the combination he had left it in, 313, it was of course not the passcode, but it let him know if someone had tried to open it. Finally only one folder remained, and he stared at it dubiously. It was his extracurricular folder, containing songs and poems he wrote. It was a talent that his mother had had, making piano melodies out of almost nowhere. He opened it and instantly knew someone had gone through it, but not with ill intent, if the still crisp, unwrinkled pages were anything to go by. The page on top was the poem he had wrote, which had actually started as a school project. It was supposed to be about drug addiction, but after the second line his pen just refused to write. He had bigger things on his mind and had picked up his Fenton Black Beauty Pencils and had finished it, but never turned it in. He had instead turned in a different poem, keeping the original for himself. You would think him a nut for using a specific pencil for extra work, but the secret was that the lead in his Fenton Pencils glowed white in the dark. He flipped to the next page, which he had left in the back because of the disappointment he had in the piece. It did not sound right on the piano, and it bothered him to no end. He paused and brought the paper closer to his face, noticing a note that had not been there before, and an even smaller comment. 'Try a combination of instruments, instead of just one.'

"Get the lights," he told Sam, staring intently at the paper. She followed the request and Danny saw the note disappear, only his original work glowing. "Okay." This new found discovery perplexed him, warmed him, and scared him all at the same time. He felt tears prick at his eyes and he blinked rapidly, clutching the papers close.

"Are you okay Danny?" Sam asked him, putting a hand on his shoulder. Danny nodded, and gave her a watery smile.

"Uh, Danny? Can you come here for a second?" Tucker called from the office. Danny haphazardly shoved his things in his bag, but taking special care with his extras folder, mentally asking Sam to stay with Jazz. He happened to notice the clock as he entered the office, realizing classes would start in 2 minutes. Danny stood next to Tucker and the boy pointed at a picture on the desk that was slightly pointed towards them. Danny snatched it off the desk.

"Is that?"

"Hey, what are you doing with that?" cried an elderly woman, who came up to the desk. Danny started and whirled around, coming face to face with the woman.

"I was just looking at it, she uh looks familiar." Danny told her. The woman sadly took the picture back, setting just right on her desk. She gazed at it, before turning her attention to Danny.

"How could you? She's been dead for twenty years." She croaked out, taking a seat at her desk. It was clear that the woman was in pain, both emotionally and physically. Danny knelt down in front of her on one knee, so he was eye level with her.

"Who was she?" he asked. The woman looked at him in slight surprise, before she looked upon him with warmth.

"Emma Mowat, my best friend since high school."

"It must have been devastating to see her pass." Danny told her, grasping her wrinkled hands in his. He could only imagine the pain she felt. She nodded, standing up as she did so.

"Devastating and tragic. She died of a horrible accident, here at-"

"Mrs. Herstine." the principal interrupted with a look of strict anger. His eyes flickered nervously to the two boys. "Shouldn't you two be heading to class?"

"We were just leaving." Danny told him, picking up his backpack. '_Sam. Come into the office and give Mrs. H a way of contacting us without alerting the principal.' _"Come on Tuck." Mrs. Herstine looked dismayed at their going, her blue eyes pleading for them. Once the boys had gone Mr. Pentti turned to his 85 year old secretary.

"Such stories do not circulate in the school." He told her, turning his back. The older woman gained a spark in her eye and she stood tall, despite her pain.

"You didn't even let the students know that she died." she hissed out.

"It was none of their concern. This is your final warning." Mr. Pentti warned, giving her a sidelong glance before exiting the office. Sam entered the office, holding a slip of paper in her hand. After assuring that the principal was not in sight she walked up to the Secretary's desk, handing her the paper, before leaving without a word. Mrs. Herstine gazed after her in confusion before reading the slip of paper. Daniel Fenton 1923 Belmont Lane The woman smiled sadly, picking up a pen and beginning to write a letter to the boy, explaining the horrible tragedy that had happened at Casper High, every few seconds glancing at the topmost drawer of her desk.

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"Are you going to tell Jazz?" Sam asked during Science with Mr. Lancer. Danny shook his head in denial. He couldn't do something like this to Jazz; she had enough to worry about. Danny slightly touched his extracurricular folder, something he had been doing frequently since the morning. He mentally cursed before slamming his hand next to the folder in frustration.

"Mr. Fenton." Lancer called out. Danny winced, and looked at him wearily. "Assist Mr. Baxter in bringing the TV from the library." Danny stood and made his way over to the tall blonde. Mr. Lancer handed Dash a slip of paper and told them to be careful. Dash led the way out the door, Danny reluctantly following behind. Danny stared at Dash's back for lack of a better thing to do, before noticing that something was missing. Danny looked down at himself, realizing he was wearing Dash's jacket again. Before he could shrug it off and return it Dash spoke.

"Where were you during lockdown?" Dash asked. He meant it to sound concerned, but instead Danny took it as suspicion.

"Outside." Danny said, surprising Dash. "I was looking for my sister." He said, choking up slightly. He had been too slow to help his sister. He had come off too helpless for her to save herself first. "I didn't find her, and then I was hit in the face, by something. I woke up in the infirmary. She was there." Danny continued, glad that the swelling in his eye had died down, and that Paulina had been compassionate enough to cover his bruise with makeup during English.

"I know." Danny looked up at Dash. "I found her unconscious, so I brought her inside. I knew you would be worried." Danny felt tears prick at his eyes and he looked away.

"Thank you." he whispered. They fell into silence for the rest of the walk to the library, before Danny remembered what he had intended to do. He slipped the coat off and held it out to Dash. It was completely clean; the ectoenergy force field repelling any blood that might have splattered in his direction. Dash looked at the boy for a second before grabbing the coat from him and slipping it on. "Not that I'm not enjoying this talk, but why aren't you beating me up?" Danny asked hesitantly. Dash had acting nicer as of recently, and he didn't understand why. Sure before yesterday they had had small moments of camaraderie, but they rarely lasted past a few consoling words, or a greeting without insults. But lately, lending him his letterman jacket, going all the way to the school for something her dropped, catching him before he hit the desk, rescuing Jazz for his sake, and now this, it was puzzling. Dash shrugged in response to the question.

"I have no reason to at the moment." he explained. Danny looked back at the ground, deciphering the answer. His mother had taught him that not everyone said what they meant, but they meant what they said. It had confused him as a child, as he could not discern the difference, but he understood now. Dash was telling the truth, because he had no reason to, but he meant because they were alone. Without his reputation to upkeep he was free to talk to Danny. It also meant, that were on equal ground as friends at the moment, giving an allusion to their past. Danny sighed, wishing that he had found time to visit the boy when he was in the hospital all those years ago. "Your friends, Goth chick and tecnogeek, they're weird. You get here in time to see their set up in the front?"

"Sam and Tucker," Danny growled, ", and they're not weird. They're unique." Danny finished lamely.

"No, pretty sure you could classify them as freaks. Yet, your stranger, but not in a bad way." Danny looked at Dash in alarm, several sirens going off in his head. The blond wasn't looking at him, and having arrived in the library he handed the slip to the young woman behind the desk. Danny dared not speak while they were in the presence of someone else. The woman smiled at them and went to the back room to get the television. "You have a secret." Dash said, still not looking at him, instead tracking the woman as she wheeled the television towards them. Danny had never felt so powerless to deny something. Dash seemed to be a pillar of unmovable power with a voice like stone. What was worse was that Dash was already convinced that Danny had a secret. Dash smiled at the woman and rolled the television into the hall. Danny followed, coming up beside the boy.

"You're the only secret I have." Danny told him, putting his hands in his pocket.

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"Do you think he knows anything?" Sam asked as the trio walked towards their lockers, ready to leave for the day. Danny sighed and pulled his hands along his face.

"I don't know." Danny mumbled, "Maybe." Danny rubbed at his face again, feeling an acute headache coming on. He looked at his hand, realizing he had rubbed off most of the concealer that Paulina had given him. He wiped the rest of it off, wiping off his hands on his shirt.

"Well, have you tried using, well you know? Maybe he's hiding something." Tucker suggested, looking surreptitiously at the people around them. Danny shook his head, also looking at the crushing crowd of people around them.

"He'd notice." Danny told them simply, instantly gaining their full attention.

"How?" Sam asked in a whisper. Danny shrugged, unsure how to explain it.

"It's like, he just knows. Whenever I look at him, he looks up. Almost, almost like he can sense it." Danny told them as they turned into the hallway that contained their lockers, the crowd diminishing as people began to depart.

"Even more reason!" Tucker exclaimed, "He's hiding something, and maybe you know what it is without even knowing you do. That's why he told you that he knows you hold a secret, maybe it's not yours, maybe it's his."

"That's ridiculous. If Danny knew a secret, he would remember. Also why wouldn't Dash just tell him to keep quiet about it?" Sam said, shooting down Tucker's theory.

"Okay, okay, okay. Maybe he's a creature in disguise, like a vampire!" Tucker threw out, hands waving about.

"Tuck, even if he had an amulet that hides him, I don't know of any that would get rid of their weaknesses. He'd still burn." Danny told him. Sam frowned in thought.

"Well, it's not exactly sunny in Amity Park. But then, wouldn't he have lost control that day you were bleeding? I think he sensed something about Spooky too. He looked over at her after he caught you." Sam told them, the trio pausing at her locker, since it was closest.

"Did you guys need to grab anything?" She asked them once she closed her locker. Tucker shook his head no and Danny looked over at his locker, noticing Dash leaning against it.

"I need my poetry journal." He said solemnly. Tucker and Sam followed his gaze and looked at him in sympathy.

"You could always write it on a separate piece of paper then transfer it." Tucker told him. Danny began to nod at the suggestion.

"Fenton!" Dash called out, pushing himself off the locker. Danny gave his backpack to Tucker. '_Check on Jazz.'_ He waited until Dash was a few feet away before tilting his head slightly to the side, giving him a small smile and a quick wrist wave. Then he bolted the other direction. Dash ran after him, breezing past Sam and Tucker. Danny was beginning to panic, knowing Dash would catch up to him if he didn't find a place to hide. He rounded the corner, crashing into the janitor.

"Ugh. Sorry, got to go!" Danny apologized after helping the man up. The janitor shook his head and continued to sweep the floor. Dash rounded the corner, and the man calmly stuck out the broom, causing the boy to trip. The blond caught himself before his face hit the ground, turning a glare onto the janitor. He then rolled his eyes upon recognizing the man.

"What do you want?" he asked as he stood up, brushing off dust from his jacket. The janitor started sweeping again.

"Why are you chasing the poor boy?" He asked, motioning with his chin in the direction the boy had gone, unaware that the boy was hidden in an alcove not far away. Dash looked down the hall.

"It doesn't matter, he's already gone." Dash responded, turning away from the janitor.

"Delving into secrets got you into this mess Dash." The janitor called out as Dash stormed away. The sightless man shook his head and continued his duties. Danny waited for his heart beat to diminish before sneaking out of his hiding place, and heading towards the infirmary. He played the scene over and over in his mind, trying to piece it together, but it made no sense. Familiarity with the janitor could be expected, but what mess had Dash gotten himself into? How did the man know Dash wanted to talk to him, because he thought he had a secret?

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Mrs. Herstine hobbled down Belmont Lane in the late hours of the night, her shawl covering her greying hair, clutched shut with one wrinkled hand. The envelope that she held in her other hand was heavy with the object that she had removed from her topmost drawer. A howl was heard in the distance but she did not slow. For a moment she paused in front of the Fenton home, gazing at the unmatched bricks, and large metal workings on the roof. She climbed the five steps to the front door slowly, kneeling once she reached the top. She muttered to herself, before pushing the letter through the door. The old woman listened for an alarm to go off and when none did, she stood, satisfied with herself. She retreated quickly, another wolf howl piercing the night. Mrs. Herstine looked over in its direction, before continuing on her way home. There was another howl directly to her left, and much closer than before. Suddenly a large brown shape lunged at her, pinning her to the ground with large, clawed hands. The werewolf snarled in her face, brown eyes filled with anger. It looked misshapen, as many werewolves did, and was completely undressed.

"Linos." A voice called out, clear in the silent night. The werewolf snapped its head up to look at its leader. The blond walked towards him, an angry scowl set in place. "Let her go." Linos whined, backing away from the woman on two legs, mimicking the human posture. As destined leader to the clan of werewolves, the blond was able to keep human form during the full moon, while the others were turned into half beast creatures that walked upright like man, with hands instead of front paws, but in all other respects, wolf like. There were only two ways that a werewolf might be able to control its transformation. The first was exclusive to chosen leaders, who held the silver blood within them. The blood was not actually silver in color, but a representation of the moon. Burdened with the title of leader, one would have separate human and wolf forms, being able to flow between the two as they pleased. The second was to be the child of a werewolf and human based creature, such as a witch. In the second option, they could control the transformation, but held human and werewolf forms. The leader of this clan was not born of the previous leader, but chosen, after his own son had disappeared. As the adopted child of their previous leader, the other werewolves tried to push the leader's limits. It was an outcry of unaccepted dominance over them. That is why the current leader chose to remain in human form, whenever the full moon was out, to remind them to bow down. "I'll take you home." The blond told the elderly woman. Shifting into wolf form, the leader began to trek towards the woman's home. An added bonus that the leader received, was keeping all the senses and strength of a werewolf, while in human form, while the submissive members of the pack were for all purposes human when the full moon wasn't present. The werewolves had formed a circle around Linos, thinking he had taken down an enemy. Recognizing the woman walking next to their leader, they curled into balls of fear.

"There, there. You know I mean no harm." She told them, already familiar with the pack. She glared at Linos. "You however, forget that you are beneath me." The white wolf next to her turned its golden gaze on the werewolf, who was desperately looking for a way out. The woman's hands surrounded with a pale yellow glow. Linos whimpered and looked to his leader for protection, lowering himself to all fours, and crawling towards him on his belly. The wolf shifted back into human form.

"I'm not going to help you. If anything, we should all pummel you." The woman shot two bolts of pale light at the werewolf, causing it to convulse briefly. "Let's go." The leader said, walking towards the witch's home. Mrs. Herstine smiled and followed, petting a few of the werewolves as she passed, their tongues lolling in happiness, upon seeing their old leaders wife.

"I've told you to call me Mom." The woman said, placing her hand in the crook of her adopted child's. Both of their eyes watered, as they shared a tender moment on the walk to the home. Upon reaching the alley they paused.

"Do you miss him?" The woman nodded, wiping away a few tears.

"Every day. I know you miss him too." A tear rolled down the younger's cheeks.

"Amadeus, used to tell me stories of when you were a great warrior. You fought for werewolf rights in your world. The world needs more people like you, Ameli."

"Do not fear. A dashing young man came into my office today. He's the one we've been looking for." She announced searching the wall for a dark brick. "And in time, the second will come." She touched a brick and it glowed yellow, turning into an archway.

"Who is it?" the leader asked.

"Do not interfere, he will find his own destiny." She walked through the archway, which returned to a brick wall behind her. The blond returned to wolf form, running back to the pack, planning a discussion with Linos. Upon arrival all the werewolves crouched down awkwardly in their half human, half wolf bodies. Some wore pants, others prefered to go bare. Overall the pack appeared to be sickly, with thin, brittle fur and protruding ribs. Linos was still on the ground, foot twitching every so often, high pitched whimpers filling the otherwise silent night. The white wolf cocked an ear to the left, hearing the faint static of radio. [Sector 7, werewolf sighting] The leader let out a short growl, alerting the others of the threat. Transforming back into a human, a kick was delivered to the fallen werewolf.

"No one help Linos. He's going to have to fight for himself since he attacked Ameli. Everyone else back to your homes, the sun is going to be up soon." The clan scattered, the leader pausing only a moment to glare at Linos before running back home.

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Danny stared at the pages in front of him, hands trembling softly and eyes wet with unshed tears. The extra note seemed haunting in his eyes, for he had no idea where it may have come from. Was his feeling of being watched true? Blue eyes turned to look at his bedside clock which read eight. Jazz would be doing laundry right about now, so he exited to the left of the hallway and crept over to her room. Her red guitar still stood on the stand where she had left it the day of his accident. Danny quickly grabbed it and placed it in his room. Jazz rarely listened to music anymore, and had abandoned her playing of it. He assumed it was because the relationship between her and their mother had been forged from music, with countless hours spent practicing. To him, his mother had always been most beautiful when playing, and their family happiest as they gathered to play together. Danny exited his room and faced to the right. A thick layer of dust covered the right end of the hallway and he hesitated. Danny stared down the hallway, swallowing thickly in his nervousness. No one had stepped foot on the right side of the hallway since his parents were taken away. _**Jazz stared at the uniformed men in shock. "We're sorry for your loss." one said before tipping his head and exiting. Jazz took in a deep shuddering breath, catching sight of Danny standing next to the lab door. Her turquoise eyes locked with his ice blue ones and her vision became blurred. She blinked away the forming tears to see that her younger brother had wrapped his arms around himself, and had slumped to the ground, back against the wall. His head was bowed, thick black hair covering his face and the fear she had seen in his eyes. Jazz backed away from her younger brother, running up the stairs and to the right side of the hallway in her panic.**_Walking slowly Danny approached the pale grey door at the end of the hall, leaving behind footprints in the dust."_**Mom? Dad?" she called facing the closed grey door. "Come out, this isn't funny. I know I said I was an adult but I still need you! I'm sorry I said you were bad parents." Jazz placed her hand on the door. "You can come out now." **_Each picture hanging on the the wall was shattered. _**Jazz's hand curled into a fist and she reeled back and punched the door. "No!" She turned in a fury screaming unintelligible at the hanging pictures, the shattering of the glass reaching Danny's ears from his position downstairs. Danny looked up as he heard footsteps come back down the stairs. He sighed and ran a hand over the bandages on his head, debating whether he should get up or not. **_Danny turned the knob and the pale door creaked open slowly and he stepped inside, noticing the blood stains on the blue carpet and the shattered vanity mirror. He closed his eyes in shame. "_**This is all your fault." Danny looked up to his sister in shock as she advanced towards him. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" she cried out falling to her knees. Danny quickly stood and ran around his sister who blindly grabbed for him. He lost a shoe but still ran upstairs locking himself in his parents bedroom. Sitting with his back to the door he let tears fall. 'It is all my fault. The Guys in White are going to lock Mom and Dad away forever and its all my fault.' He forced himself to stand as he heard Jazz climb the stairs, and met eyes with his reflection. Danny flung his remaining shoe at the mirror, effectively shattering it, several shards landing at his feet. "If you hadn't gone into that stupid portal!" Jazz shouted from outside the door, rattling it in an attempt to pry it open. 'If I hadn't gone into that stupid portal.' Danny thought picking up a shard of the mirror. "If you hadn't turned the stupid thing on!" she added, hitting the door with her shoulder, tears streaming down her face. 'If I hadn't turned the stupid thing on.' Danny repeated mentally, turning the glass to look at his glowing green eye. "I hate you! It's all your fault!" The tip of the mirror touched his wrist. "I hate me too." he said aloud before slashing his wrist. Crying out in pain he fell to the floor. Jazz stopped her assault on the door. "Danny?" the raven haired boy fumbled for the mirror shard, gripping it tightly in his now blood covered hand, slashing the other wrist. He cried out again, sobs causing him to shake harshly. "Danny!" The door began to rattle loudly. "It's all my fault." Danny whispered. 'The Guys in White are going to kill them and it's all my fault.' **_Danny briefly ran a hand over his scars before walking over to the closet and grabbing an ivory case. he carefully placed it on the ground, unlatching it. Inside was a cherry wood violin. With tender hands he grabbed his mother's violin and bow, returning to his room. He picked up the guitar and his sheet music making his way to the lab. Gently placing everything down he powered up his recording equipment. With a small smile he dusted off the nearby piano and drum sets, which belonged to his mother and father respectively. Taking one last glance towards the stairs he picked up the violin, unaware that a certain commander had done the same.

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Hamish swayed as the bow flitted across the violin, the sound of the strings filling his small apartment. His posture slowly became more languid, his eyes falling closed. "Proud of your boy." he sang,his voice being slightly high pitched. "I'll make you proud of your boy. Believe me, bad as I've been, Pa. You're in for a pleasant surprise." The lights in the apartment fluctuated slightly. "I've wasted time. I've wasted me. So say I'm fast for my age. A straight shooter, Okay, I agree." The pages of the various books strewn around his apartment fluttered in a panic. "That I've been one rotten kid. Some son, some pride and some joy. But I'll get over these lousin' up." A light bulb shattered with a loud pop. Hamish closed his eyes tighter. "Messin' up," The books flew off his shelves, flying around the apartment. ",screwin' up times." Hamish tightened his grip on the violin and stamped his foot upon the ground. The books fell to the ground with a thud. The violin stopped and Hamish gazed at the mess he had made. Slowly, the bow found its way back to the instrument. "You'll see, Pa, now comes the better part." he whispered, slowly sitting on his tweed couch. "Someone's gonna make good, cross his stupid heart." A small smile flitted across the agent's lips. "Make good and finally make you, proud of your boy." The eighteen year old boy let the violin fall to his lap and he stroked it lovingly.

"_**Hamish." the twelve year old, looked up from the robotic companion he was designing. John came into sight, tinged red due to the saftey googles he wore. He hesitantly pulled down the googles to hang around his neck. John smiled at him and knelt to look at him in his eyes. "I'm very proud of you Hamish. No fights for a whole month, despite the other boys making fun of you." Hamish smiled brightly. **_

"_**Hardly an accomplishment." Sherlock muttered from his own lab table. Hamish felt his fist curl in anger, but seeing the shocked expression of his Pa's face made him take in a deep breath. John brought a box out from behind his back and held it out to him. **_

The violin was made of rosewood, specially made for him. He had spent hours practicing, perfecting his skills. Yet, his father always could outdo him. His melodies would flow much smoother, his lyrics would enthrall easier. Hamish placed the violin to the side and lifted up a floor board he had engineered to act as storage space. Bringing up a thin black box he opened it to reveal a snapped wand. Rosewood, with a phoenix tail feather, 12 and a quarter inches rather bendy. He held the two parts together and attempted to fuse them by mere willpower. "No, come on." A silver spark was produced before the door swung open to reveal his parents. Hamish stood in surprise, but it was too late. Sherlock dropped the bag he had and abruptly turned away, walking off into the night. Hamish ran to the door, stopping himself on the frame. "Father!" Hamish searched the darkening street but caught no sign of the consulting detective.

"Hamish…" Hamish turned, fear in his eyes. He was enveloped into a strong hug by John who stood a few inches shorter than him. "It's alright, you know he's not mad. He's just not built to understand someone like you. He'll come back. He always does."

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Danny checked the clock and decided he still had enough time to finish the song. He pulled up the tracks he recorded of the drums and violin, overlapping them at some points and hitting record for the next part. He took a deep breath and began to strum the guitar. The violin recording played in the background, followed by the beat of the drums. Playing a loud rift on the guitar Danny looked up at the portal. He continued to play the guitar as he sang. "It starts with one time to fit in. Addiction slowly setting in. I drifted off into dismay-" Danny abruptly stopped as he saw the portal door rattle. The rattling stopped shortly after and he frowned. Looking down at the recording he sighed and deleted it, trekking back upstairs with the violin and guitar. Hidden red eyes watched him go, moving over to the recording equipment and hitting record.


End file.
